Preseason Week 1 Rookie QB Report: Nussmeier, Payton and the Names to File Away
Fifteen rookie QBs made their unofficial debuts. Garrett Nussmeier sits third in KC, Cole Payton ran for a team-high 45 yards — here's who matters for fantasy.
Solid debut, but he's QB3 in KC behind Mahomes and Fields.
- 15 rookie QBs made preseason debuts in Week 1
- Nussmeier sits behind Mahomes and Fields in KC
- Cole Payton: team-high 45 rush yds on 3 carries
- Miller Moss is Chicago's QB4 behind Caleb Williams
- Kyron Drones cut shortly after his debut game
The preseason is where rookie quarterbacks get their one clean shot at a first impression, and 15 of them took the field this week for their first unofficial NFL action. The headliners from the Hall of Fame Game — Carson Beck (15-for-19, 188 yards, TD) and Haynes King — both sat out with injuries this time around, so the spotlight shifted to a fresh crop of names trying to climb depth charts and earn practice-squad security.
Garrett Nussmeier was the most fantasy-relevant story of the bunch. The former LSU passer nearly slid out of the draft entirely before Kansas City grabbed him, and he answered with a generally solid showing — scramble-drill improvisation, a couple of throws on the run, one rookie-style sack, and a deep ball to Jason Brownlee that got broken up at the catch point. The talent flashed. The problem is the pecking order: he's third in KC behind Patrick Mahomes and Justin Fields, which is about as blocked a path as exists in the league.
The Standouts Worth Remembering
Cole Payton was the most fun watch of the weekend. The Eagles knew the North Dakota State star was raw but physically gifted, and both showed up — he led Philadelphia with 45 rushing yards on just three carries, including a 17-yard scramble after his protection collapsed instantly, then bought time to find Erik Ezukanma for the Eagles' only touchdown. Athan Kaliakmanis (Rutgers) ripped multiple strong throws for Washington, and undrafted Jalon Daniels went 10-of-15 for 111 yards with a game-winning rushing score for Tampa Bay.
Luke Altmyer played nearly the whole game for Detroit and was fine for an undrafted rookie facing Bengals starters — his two picks were on his receivers, and he tossed his first unofficial NFL TD to Tarik Black. Behren Morton delivered a nice tight-window strike to Kobe Prentice for New England. Not everyone survived the weekend, though: Virginia Tech's Kyron Drones was cut shortly after his game.
The Fantasy Fallout
None of these names belong on a redraft roster right now — they're depth-chart afterthoughts. Payton sits at the back of an Eagles room behind Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton (14 PPR points across four games in 2025). Miller Moss is Chicago's QB4 behind Caleb Williams (333 PPR points in 2025, our #5 QB), so there's zero path there. Kaliakmanis is fighting Sam Hartman just for Washington's No. 3 job.
Bottom line: this is a file-away exercise, not an add-drop one. Nussmeier is the only rookie here with a genuinely intriguing long-term profile, and even he needs an injury or two ahead of him to matter. In dynasty formats he's a cheap dart worth a bench stash. In redraft, keep watching, keep your waiver claims for players who'll actually see snaps that count.
